


Hot as fire

by airiP4



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Fire, Firefighter Luka AU, Horny Marinette, Partial Nudity, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28002654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airiP4/pseuds/airiP4
Summary: Firefighter Luka AU.When Marinette returns home, she sees her apartment is on fire. Worried for her hamster Tikki, she goes inside, and ends up being saved by a brave firefighter, whose face she couldn't see, but she remembers something about him: a tattoo on his wrist.After Marinette realizes she forgot to thank him, she starts looking for the man she has been fantasizing about... and thanks to Alya she gets a clue to find him.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	Hot as fire

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaboration with @LadyFreya123 , who was kind enough to draw the art for this.   
> NSFW art available on my Tumblr: https://airi-p4.tumblr.com/post/637170338401271808/hot-as-fire-nsfw

"Tikki! Someone save Tikki!"

Marinette’s eyes glowed red. Her apartment was burning up in crimson flames, coal black smoke going up in the sky and the whole building structure was threatening to collapse any moment. She was horrified with the events occurring just in front of her watery eyes.

"Is Tikki your child?" one fireman guarding the ‘no trespassing’ line asked her.

"She's my hamster! Save her, please!" She begged.

The firefighters looked at each other with a sympathetic look. "Sorry miss, it's too dangerous. The building is about to collapse. We can't risk ourselves for a hamster"

"No! Tikki!" She screamed. Out of desperation, she found the strength she didn’t know she had to pass through the firemen stopping her and managed to run inside the building.

"Wait!"

Marinette ran upstairs to her apartment: second floor, third door. The air was hot and breathing in those conditions was almost impossible. Her lungs were burning from the air and smoke she inhaled, but that didn't stop her from searching. The flames had already reached her apartment and she could see her sketchbooks turning into ashes. She crawled on the floor, fighting for oxygen, but her eyelids felt heavier every inch she moved…

"Hang in there!" 

Prepared with all of his equipment and a mask, a firefighter followed her and opened the window. "There's someone here! Get the jump cushion!" He shouted through the window, signaling the other firemen with his arms.

"C'mon, hang in there" he said, taking her close to the window. Oxygen momentarily reached her lungs again. "Tikki… please… save… my hamster…" she managed to say, between coughs. She couldn't see the firefighter's face when he lifted her in his arms. "Jump!"

Marinette was too weak to react, but she continued begging "the room on the right… under… table… please..."

"Understood. Now jump!" 

Marinette didn't know what happened, but when she opened her eyes she was safely out of the burning building. A medic wrapped her in a blanket and took her to the ambulance. She couldn't stop looking at what had been her apartment for 5 years: her home was now gone. Tikki and the firefighter were still inside and part of the building was already collapsing.

"C'mon, you have to make it" his companions prayed along with her. "Please"

And suddenly, he fearlessly jumped through the window. He landed safely, and all the firefighters immediately urged everyone to run away: the collapsing was imminent, they said. And it was even earlier than what Marinette could have imagined. 

"Tikki! No, Tikki!" She cried. But the fireman from before approached her, took her open hand and placed a ball on it: her hamster. 

"Tikki! Oh, Tikki! I'm so glad!" She cried, more worried for her pet than for her own injuries.

The fireman gave her a two finger salute before his partners and a medic went to check on him.

Marinette was being treated herself too. She looked impressed and deeply moved at the fireman who saved her hamster when the rest of them had given up. She had forgotten to thank him… his face was still hidden, but before she passed out, she could see a mark on his left wrist- a snake tattoo. 

* * *

When Marinette woke up, she was at the hospital, connected to oxygen and with her best friend, Alya, sleeping next to her. She blinked in confusion, and her body movements awoke her red-haired friend.

"Marinette! You're awake!"

"Alya… What happened…?" She remembered as she asked. "Tikki! Where's Tikki!?" She screamed.

"She's here. See?" Alya assured her, showing how energetically she was running inside her ball. Marinette sighed in relief.

"Marinette! I can't believe you risked your life like that. I know Tikki is important to you, but don’t scare me like that ever again! The firefighters were mad at you" she hugged her.

"Sorry…"

"You're lucky that brave fireman risked his life for you two"

"Yes… He was so brave… and cool… Oh, no! Alya! I forgot to thank him!" Marinette panicked at her realization.

"Well, you fainted. Nothing you could do about it. What's important is you're alive and well, and that you're going to recover very soon" 

Marinette welcomed Alya’s hand over hers, and squeezed it back, grateful and in melancholy. "Thank you, Alya… I can't believe my home is gone…"

"You can stay with me for as long as you need" Alya offered.

"But Nino-" 

"Moving in with Nino can wait. I can't leave you alone after what happened"

"Thank you, Alya"

* * *

After a few weeks of living with Alya, she noticed how her presence was making it hard for Alya and her boyfriend. As Nino’s impatience rose, quarrels began happening more and more often, and she knew it meant it was her call to move somewhere else. Two weeks later, she left Alya's apartment and moved closer to her new atelier.

It was New Year when Marinette’s life took a new turn. Alya had visited her new apartment for the first time. The rooms were still almost empty, but the place was lovely. Small, but comfortable: just right. Tikki was running around the room inside her ball.

"Girl! This is such a nice apartment! Awesome"

"Thanks Alya"

"But you know? It lacks some decorations, especially on the wall"

"I know. I want to buy something from my favorite artists when I save up enough. I’ve just used the money from the insurance on my new atelier and this apartment and… I guess it will have to wait" Marinette sighed. She knew there was nothing she could do. At least until her earnings grew a little more. Alya smiled.

"I have something that might help: here, a present for you" Alya straightened her arms to give Marinette a slim rectangular wrapped present. Marinette accepted it, curious. The paper tore under Alya's smirk to reveal the content: a calendar. 

"Alya, don't tell me this is…" 

And it was indeed what Marinette thought: the famous firefighters charity calendar- the one with photos of almost naked men on every month page.

"You would never shut up about the firefighter that saved you and Tikki. It almost sounds like a crush when you spazz over how you want to meet him again to thank him"

"I- no! I just want to thank him, I swear!" she blushed.

"Why don't you check the calendar? Maybe he's there?" Alya grinned.

Marinette rolled her eyes, embarrassed for the teasing. It's not like she knew his face anyway. And what were the odds? With hundreds of firemen in Paris, it sounded highly improbable...

"As if that was that eas-" she stopped after passing the second page from the back: November, there he was- the snake tattoo on his left wrist. "It's him"

"Really? Let me see!" Alya moved closer to take a look. "Oh, wow! He's very handsome… and… Do you think he plays the guitar for real? Marinette?"

In the photo, there was a man with blue tips over his black hair, with ocean blue piercing eyes. On his hands, it laid an acoustic guitar. The instrument was, in fact, all he had to cover his naked body- and it covered just the right and most needed part (even if Marinette would have prefered to see what was beneath it) . His perfectly sculptured muscular body was clearly visible and Marinette was surprised to see how the snake tattoo on his wrist was actually larger, covering his whole arm and shoulder. He was incredibly handsome to Marinette's eyes, and she could feel the heat on her body and cheeks rising high. She felt hot just by looking at it. She noticed how there was a name under the photo: Luka.

"I- what? What did you say, Alya?" She asked, finally returning to reality. 

"Oh, girl! I know this look! You liiiiike him!" Alya teased.

"I- No! He's just… Ok, I admit it! He’s so damn hot! I may have been daydreaming about him since that day and imagining what his face would look like but this-"

“Is more than you expected, yeah. And now you like him even more and wish to meet him. I get it, Marinette. I know you well enough”

“Alya! It’s not like I want to ride him like crazy!” she shouted. “Ok, maybe it crossed my mind- but that’s not the point! You know I’m over one night stands!” 

"Right, right” her friend chuckled. “You may know his name but not where he works… unless you take a tour to every single fire station in Paris until you find him?" Alya winked, and Marinette was more than interested in putting her BFF’s idea into practice. Alya could tell by the look in her eyes she had decided to find him, and the thought made her smile. 

She hadn’t told Marinette, but she had actually talked to the man in question. She had thanked him on Marinette’s behalf too after she had passed out. She knew he was compromised to his duty, but she knew checking on the people they have helped wasn’t part of his responsibility after they get taken care of by the medical crew. Like Marinette, she hadn’t seen his full face properly, but there was something in his gentle eyes… something she had seen in Marinette’s eyes too: loneliness. 

So when Marinette talked about how cool he was, she set her resolve to give her a push. What kind of friend would she be if she didn’t look for Marinette’s happiness? Her journalist intuitions told her something could spark between them if they got the chance to meet under the right circumstances. Or at least, it was worth a try, she thought.

Alya smiled proudly at the blush and wide smile in Marinette’s eyes. She was too focused on the photo to notice her surroundings, and Alya decided it would be better to leave her fantasizing and freely fangirling alone.

"See you later, Marinette. I'm glad you liked the present” she kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Alya"

* * *

It was still Mid-January, but it was already November on Marinette’s calendar. Every day, she would spend some long minutes staring at the firefighter’s photo, especially before going to sleep. She would tell him ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’, and kiss it sometimes. She was both, emotionally and sexually attracted to the man. She even screamed his name when she touched herself. She didn’t want to admit it to Alya, but he made her so horny that, after years of solitude, she started to wish she met the real deal. 

She had, in fact, been looking for him at some of the fire stations. Whenever a fire was around, she would go check. But fires were very rare, and luck had not been on her side. The outfits weren’t very revealing either, which made everything even more difficult. A lovestruck sigh left her mouth. ‘ _Time to go look for him for real_ ’ she thought. 

And maybe luck was on her side, after all, since the first fire station she went to asking for ‘Luka’ was a hit. 

“Luka? Yeah, I can call him. Who is asking for him?” said a fireman called ‘Kim’, according to his nametag.  
  
“Marinette. No- Tikki” she answered. The man shrugged and entered the building. 

Moments later, Luka came out and wow! The real deal totally hit differently. She wasn’t a teenager anymore for her hormones to make her go crazy like that. She was feeling defenseless, attacked by his outstanding handsomeness. He looked disgusted as he sighed, not even looking at Marinette’s eyes. 

“Look if you’re here for the calendar let me tell I’m not interes- Oh. The hamster lady” Luka exclaimed.

Marinette blinked in surprise, her feet back on earth. “You remember me?”

“Of course” He nodded. “I’ve never seen anyone so desperate for a hamster”

He smiled at her, and it was final: her crush was now bound to stay forever. She coughed a bit to recompose herself and shove her horny thoughts aside (at least for now). She came to thank him, in the first instance, anyway.

“My name is Marinette. I want to thank you for saving Tikki”

“No need to thank me. I just did my job” he responded, professionally.

“I know. But if it wasn’t for you, she wouldn't be alive now. Me neither. Thank you for not laughing at me and risking your life to save me and Tikki”

“Well, there’s no way I could laugh at you. I understand that, when you’re alone, a hamster can become someone very precious, your only family even. I thought that may have been your case and I knew I had about 3 minutes before the building collapsed- enough time to give it a try”

“You’re so dreamy… Brave! I mean brave!” She corrected herself. _‘Focus Marinette!’_ “Thank you so much. Could I invite you to dinner sometime to show you my gratitude…?” she blushed.

His answer was louder than her question. “No. That’s not allowed, you know? Public workers can’t accept gifts from anyone. It’s written on the conduct guidelines”

“Oh…” she was disappointed, but not willing to give up yet. “What about dinner at my new apartment then…?”

“No. Look, I just did my job. I completed my duty. That’s all. I can accept your thanks, but if you’re looking for something else from me, I’ll have to ask you to leave. I’ve had enough of girls coming after me because of that silly calendar. I knew I should have refused taking any part in it” He sighed.

“But-! What about a coffee, then? When you’re not on duty?” she insisted. “It’s fine if you’re outside the station, right?”

“You’re stubborn, aren’t you? An emergency call could come anytime. I don’t have time to waste here. Take care of your hamster and be cautious of fires. Goodbye Marinette”

“Wait! I-” _What can I do now? He’ll think I’m crazy if I confess… and he’s already leaving. Say something, Marinette! Quick!_ “I want you to be my model!”

“Excuse me?” he turned his head to her.

“I’m- I’m a fashion designer and- you would be perfect to model my new collection! Not that you inspired my newest designs, that would be creepy, but” she mumbled before focusing again “could you be my model? I’ll pay you for the job, of course”

Luka’s eyebrows frowned and Marinette felt pain in her heart. “Look, I don't know what you’re after, but I’m not interested in modeling. I’ve seen my sister struggling enough with it. Just go, I’m still on duty. Bye”

Marinette couldn’t say anything as he walked towards the fire station. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, disappointed. She had thanked him, yes, but now she felt rejected by the one she had been longing for months. Paralyzed in place, she looked at his wide back getting smaller, closer to the fire station entrance.

“Wow! I can’t believe you rejected that beauty!” she could hear one of his companions tell him. “you should give in sometimes, pal! You’re too serious and responsible it’s not even fun”

“Shut up. Go train your body muscles instead of your tongue, if you don’t know how to pass the time. I could assign you some paperwork too, if you prefer. I bet your brain would welcome some training too”

“Oh, Come on, man! Chill” She could have sworn there was a glimpse of a smile on his face, but she wasn’t sure because of the distance and how faint it looked.

Maybe luck wasn’t on her side after all. But isn’t luck something you have to work hard to create? Marinette was stubborn. It was too early to give up.

* * *

The next morning she waited for him at the fire station. She knew the firemen would take turns, and she also knew the exact hours those occurred after talking to the fireman from the day before, the one named ‘Kim’. And even without knowing his full schedule (confidential information), she attempted to meet him again one of those times. Knowing his sense of responsibility, she assumed he would be the first one to arrive at work in the morning. And she had been proven right.

“Good morning” she approached him.

“You again?” Luka groaned “What do you want now?”

“I’ve brought you coffee and I’ve cooked you something. Would you accept it? As a thank you” She showed him a paper bag with said items inside.

“I told you you don’t need to thank me”, he stopped her hands from getting closer, looking irritated from under his lashes. Marinette continued.

“Your friend told me you always order food even when bringing your own food is allowed. You can take this as your lunchbox. I would be very happy if you accepted it”

“I can’t take it. You know the rules” He sighed again. 

“You know? I think your friend is right: you should enjoy life more. What damage can a cup of coffee and a sandwich make?”

“Look, I can’t-” He started, but Marinette interrupted him. There was a confident smile on her face, and Luka knew she was scheming something. 

“Ok, I’ll leave it here, then. You can take it or let it go to waste, that’s your choice. But I’m not giving up on convincing you to model for me”, she said, reaching his hand and passing the handholds of the bag around his wrist, running away to impede him from giving it back to her. “See you!”

“Hey!” he called, reaching his hand towards her, but she soon disappeared through the corner of the street.

Luka was conflicted. He took the coffee and noticed her phone number written on it. ‘ _Shit. Now I have to take it as a duty to protect a citizen’s privacy_ ’. And well, he did end up writing her number down in his contact list, even if he wasn’t sure why himself, since he wasn’t planning to ever contact her.

From that day on, a coffee and a sandwich / lunchbox reached him everyday. Luka’s companions started calling Marinette ‘his girlfriend’ and the receptionists befriended her well enough to hold on to the coffee and lunchbox for him when she didn’t get his shifts right. Every day, the message on his coffee would be different: ‘ _Be careful_ ’, ‘ _Stay safe_ ’, ‘ _Have a good day_ ’, ‘ _I hope you consider modeling for me_ ’, ‘ _Tikki is growing healthy thanks to you_ ’, ‘ _Can’t I really invite you somewhere sometime?_ ’, ‘ _Call me, please?_ ’, ‘ _I want to know you better_ ’. The last one he received left him puzzled: ‘ _I like you. Would you give me a second chance?_ ’ 

And eventually, with the arrival of the spring season, he found himself giving in. She smuggled in his daily routine, little by little, without him noticing, to the point he missed it the one day she didn’t bring him coffee because she had been out of Paris. His smiles were more frequent too, and his co-workers were glad he wasn’t as strict with them anymore. He didn’t know but, they had been helping Marinette out to soften his diligent attitude towards his job. And Luka, instead of insisting on their training, had been more keen to spend his free time composing with his guitar while waiting for emergency calls. 

* * *

The call from an unknown number startled Marinette. It had happened before: she responded hopeful for it to be Luka, just to be utterly disappointed with spam or people who dialed the wrong number. But that didn’t ease her heart in hope that, maybe, next time would be the one. Marinette picked up the phone with a nervous trembling voice. 

“Hello?”

“Hello. Marinette? It’s Luka”, the voice at the other side of the line said, making Marinette jump with excitement.

“Luka! I’m so happy you finally called me! Are you cool? I mean- you’re always cool- are you doing fine? Did you get my message?”

“Well, yes. I’ve been considering your offer” he said, leaving Marinette in awe.

“Which one? The model or the date one?” ‘ _Say both please_ ’, she internally wished.

“The date one” he responded, and Marinette was literally biting her sketchbook to avoid screaming. “Would you like to go somewhere together next Saturday?”

“YES!” _she had sounded too excited, didn’t she?_ She realized, correcting herself. “I mean- yes, I would love that... When will it be, at night? Let me invite you to dinner”

“I have a night shift this week, Marinette. I was thinking about lunch”

“Oh, yes! Of course! I- I should have known that! I’m so silly haha…” Marinette was glad the redness on her cheeks wouldn’t reach the other side of the line.

“So… Are you free?” he asked.

“Totally free!” she tore the page of her agenda and threw it to the waste disposal basket. “What time do you want to meet? I know the perfect restaurant! You’ll love it!”

“How is 11 AM for you then? In front of the fire station. I have a night shift on Friday too, I don’t want to neglect my job without having enough sleep”

“Of course, of course. I understand. 11 AM is perfect” she answered, trembling in excitement.

“Ok then. See you next Saturday?”

“Absolutely!”

If Marinette wasn’t already losing it enough with their date plans, the faint giggle she could hear through the line before the call ended KOed her. She had it bad for him. Too bad. But she didn’t want to be creepy like she had with some of her past crushes. She was an adult now! And no- being lonely and horny as hell didn’t help her, but she was almost sure what she felt for Luka surpassed anything she had felt before. And yes, maybe it was too early to call it ‘love’, but she was more than willing to see where her feelings would take her. 

Marinette held her hamster happily, pressing her cheek to her tiny face: “This is all thanks to you, Tikki! I love you so much! You’re my lucky charm” she said, kissing her pet. “Now, time to rearrange my agenda from Saturday! Try not to sound excited, Marinette! Professionalism! You can do it!” But her grin refused to leave her face.

On Friday night, like on a daily basis, Marinette brought a coffee to Luka. As always, it included a handwritten message: ‘ _I can’t wait to see you tomorrow for our date!_ ’

Luka couldn’t hide his blush and his smile when he read the message. That night, no emergency calls came, so it was one night full of teasing from his coworkers. “It was about time!”, “Congrats, dude!”, “She’s amazing, you better treat her carefully”. they congratulated him. The worst comment he received was from his best friend, Dingo, who made him spill his coffee with his words: “It doesn’t have to be night to take her to bed, you know? Give her what she wants! Wreck her!” 

When did he become the core of the fire station? He had always been a loner, and now he was surrounded with ‘friends’.

  
‘ _I guess it was a good thing I saved that hamster_ ’ he thought, taking a sip of his coffee.


End file.
